Improvement in letter-box alarms



Patented June10. 1873.

. A. TAYLDIL Letter-Box Alarms.

AM PHOTO uruosmrmccauflas an ssm czss) UNITED STATES ALFRED TAYLOR, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER-BOX ALARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,833, dated J un 10, 1873; application filed March 13, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED TAYLOR, of Brooklyn, New York, have invented an Improvement in Alarm Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to cause the hinged door of a letter-box to strike an alarm when it is opened for the introduction ofa letter into the box, and to combine all the requisite mechanism in one apparatus, which can be readily attached to any door.

I attain these objects by the combination of an arm, a, on the hinged door A of a letterbox with a spring'lever, B, carrying at one end a spring-dog, d, adapted to the said arm, and having at the other end a hammer, b, for striking the bell -H, as shown in the sectional view, Fig. 1, of the accompanying drawing, the whole being carried by and forming a part of the door-plate A, attached to any door having a letter-box on the inside. This plate A has an elongated opening, I, for the passage of letters, and over this opening is hung, to lugs m m, at the back of the plate, as shown in the rear view, Fig. 2, a door, A, which is closed by any suitable spring. To a slotted arm, D, secured to or forming a part of the plate A, is hung the lever B, carrying at its outer end a hammer, b, which, when not operated, is maintained in the position shown in Fig. 1, partly by the spring n, and partly by the crossbar 19 of the arm D. To the inner arm of the lever B is hung a dog, d, a projection, c, on

which is caused to bear on the lever by a small spiral or other spring, f, the dog having a recess, '5, adapted to the end of the arm a or the door A.

When the mechanism is at rest it is in the position shown in Fig. 1; but on forcing the door inward so as to introduce a letter through the opening I, the arm a, acting on the dog, will raise the latter and with it the inner end of the lever B, until the latter arrives at the position shown in Fig. 2, when the lever will he suddenly relieved, and the hammer will; strike the bell H, which is secured to the outer end of the stationary arm D. On releasing w the ,door the arm a, lever B, audits springdog (1, willrecover their former positions, the dog yielding to the descending arm a until the end of the latter enters the notch of the dog.

It will be seen that the entire apparatus is selfcontained, the plate A, bell, and mechan ism for operating the same, being all connected together ready for sale as a complete instrument, which can at once he applied to any door above a letter-box securedto the same.

Below the opening 1 in the plate A, and at the rear of the latter, is a serrated plate, best observed in Fig.4, the serrations of this plate preventing the retraction of a letter by an instrument 'which could be inserted into the box without ringingthe hell.

I claim- The combination, in one apparatus, of a doorplate, a door, A, hinged to the plate, an arm, D, fixed to or forming part of the plate, a bell, H, secured to the arm, a hammer, d, and mechanism whereby the door, on being opened, is caused to operate the hammer; all as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

WM. A. STEEL, HARRY SMITH. 

